More Jaw Dropping!

Kim Luck

Well-known member
VIP Paid Subscriber
1000+ Posts
Fellow Frogger
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Messages
21,867
Location
Melbourne, Aus.
Took the three year old Megane Intens Sedan in for it's third service today at the local Renault Dealer. The car was fitted from new with a brand of rubber I've never used before and will be happy to avoid in the future, Continental ContiSportContact 5 @ 225/40 R18. I was rung and informed that the tyres needed replacing, the workshop had measured the tread depth at 0.0 mm in the front tyres and 4.0 mm on the rears. This was a truly amazing discovery, as the car has only acquired 23,000 km in three years driving backwards and forwards to the city in traffic with an average speed of approx 25 km/h and the tyres had been rotated twice.

I'm normally a Michelin fan, and I'm also impressed with the Hankook Dynapros on my diesel Koleos (65-68,000 km, the last two sets) whilst the Michelins fitted to my wife's previous car, a Megane Soft Top, were changed at 98,000 km with legal tread left but a separating crown. If 22,000 km is all one can get out of a set of Continentals in suburban use then I'd suggest that they must be the biggest load of crap on the market! Never before in over 50 years have I ever had a set of tyres "wear out" in so short a distance! (Even cross plies!) The tyres have never been under/over inflated courtesy of the Megane's tyre pressure monitoring system. Continental claim they are fitted to 1 in 3 European manufactured cars, all I can say is they must be the absolute cheapest and shittiest tyre available there.

Does anyone else have horror stories of this product to tell?
 
Our Megane turned 5 in Jan. 38,000km. Same tyres but 205/50/70 middle almost down to the wear indicators, perhaps 1/2 to 1mm left but the outside is pretty worn, particularly at the front (looks like they haven't rotated at the last service.
 
Our Megane turned 5 in Jan. 38,000km. Same tyres but 205/50/70 middle almost down to the wear indicators, perhaps 1/2 to 1mm left but the outside is pretty worn, particularly at the front (looks like they haven't rotated at the last service.

Sounds like the tires are slightly over inflated, maybe drop a 1 PSI
 
Took the three year old Megane Intens Sedan in for it's third service today at the local Renault Dealer. The car was fitted from new with a brand of rubber I've never used before and will be happy to avoid in the future, Continental ContiSportContact 5 @ 225/40 R18. I was rung and informed that the tyres needed replacing, the workshop had measured the tread depth at 0.0 mm in the front tyres and 4.0 mm on the rears. This was a truly amazing discovery, as the car has only acquired 23,000 km in three years driving backwards and forwards to the city in traffic with an average speed of approx 25 km/h and the tyres had been rotated twice.

I'm normally a Michelin fan, and I'm also impressed with the Hankook Dynapros on my diesel Koleos (65-68,000 km, the last two sets) whilst the Michelins fitted to my wife's previous car, a Megane Soft Top, were changed at 98,000 km with legal tread left but a separating crown. If 22,000 km is all one can get out of a set of Continentals in suburban use then I'd suggest that they must be the biggest load of crap on the market! Never before in over 50 years have I ever had a set of tyres "wear out" in so short a distance! (Even cross plies!) The tyres have never been under/over inflated courtesy of the Megane's tyre pressure monitoring system. Continental claim they are fitted to 1 in 3 European manufactured cars, all I can say is they must be the absolute cheapest and shittiest tyre available there.

Does anyone else have horror stories of this product to tell?

I do have a horror story, but as it was in the late 1970s I have got over it, and am happy with the Continentals fitted to the Scenic. Back then, as a service manager in a MB dealership, we had numerous warranty claims for tyre tread separation (the wires hanging out the side, at low kms). The main problem then was there was only one dealer in Australia, in Sydney. Always a hassle with the warranty claims, and we generally recommended Michelins as replacements. They certainly had a production problem at one stage. Funny thing, I believe, is the French Michelins suited the German cars better, and nowadays the German tyre (Continental) is on the French cars.

Re my own Renault Scenic, I track my tyre wear by tread measurement very closely, so I can correct any wheel alignment problem before it becomes a problem. As it turns out, I have never had to make any adjustment whatsoever, even to toe-in/toe-out. I take 4 measurements across the tread, starting at about 5000kms, then every 10k, and can see trends of uneven wear, and have made pressure adjustments accordingly. I don't rotate usually, so any wear is relative to the corner of the car, not averaging out the wear between all 4 tyres.

I think they are called Continental Eco Contact on the Scenic, at about 40000kms the fronts were worn to limit, the rears only 50% worn (normal for front wheel drive), I replaced the 2 fronts, and predictably at 80k I replaced all 4. As Bob Janes now supply Continentals, they are are of reasonable price, about 40% cheaper than the first time I wanted them.

I (and you) know various compounds wear at different rates, usually a performance tyre wears at higher rate than a regular tyre. I can only agree that 23k is very low kms to be worn out, even for a softer performance tyre. I am more inclined to think there is a measurable alignment problem, probably toe-in/toe-out, which would cause both fronts to wear either on the inside or outside of the tyre (same on both tyres). I have found that small toe-in errors cause the fastest wear.

Is it possible to measure the tread depth across the tyres? Or have they been trashed by now? I wouldn't be surprised to find other parts of the tyre with 0.0mm treads are 3 - 4mm depth. If indeed the tyre is worn evenly to 0mm across the tread then your comment on the quality of the tyre is relevant! And you would change the tyre type.

Cheers.
 
Look I have just had a similar experience with Conti’s on my pug 508.
i got close to 45k from the original Michelin, but not quite 30k from the Conti’s
I liked the Conti’s but have just replaced with Michelin as I can’t live with only getting 30k from over $1,000 worth of tyres!
 
I do have a horror story, but as it was in the late 1970s I have got over it, and am happy with the Continentals fitted to the Scenic. Back then, as a service manager in a MB dealership, we had numerous warranty claims for tyre tread separation (the wires hanging out the side, at low kms). The main problem then was there was only one dealer in Australia, in Sydney. Always a hassle with the warranty claims, and we generally recommended Michelins as replacements. They certainly had a production problem at one stage. Funny thing, I believe, is the French Michelins suited the German cars better, and nowadays the German tyre (Continental) is on the French cars.

Re my own Renault Scenic, I track my tyre wear by tread measurement very closely, so I can correct any wheel alignment problem before it becomes a problem. As it turns out, I have never had to make any adjustment whatsoever, even to toe-in/toe-out. I take 4 measurements across the tread, starting at about 5000kms, then every 10k, and can see trends of uneven wear, and have made pressure adjustments accordingly. I don't rotate usually, so any wear is relative to the corner of the car, not averaging out the wear between all 4 tyres.

I think they are called Continental Eco Contact on the Scenic, at about 40000kms the fronts were worn to limit, the rears only 50% worn (normal for front wheel drive), I replaced the 2 fronts, and predictably at 80k I replaced all 4. As Bob Janes now supply Continentals, they are are of reasonable price, about 40% cheaper than the first time I wanted them.

I (and you) know various compounds wear at different rates, usually a performance tyre wears at higher rate than a regular tyre. I can only agree that 23k is very low kms to be worn out, even for a softer performance tyre. I am more inclined to think there is a measurable alignment problem, probably toe-in/toe-out, which would cause both fronts to wear either on the inside or outside of the tyre (same on both tyres). I have found that small toe-in errors cause the fastest wear.

Is it possible to measure the tread depth across the tyres? Or have they been trashed by now? I wouldn't be surprised to find other parts of the tyre with 0.0mm treads are 3 - 4mm depth. If indeed the tyre is worn evenly to 0mm across the tread then your comment on the quality of the tyre is relevant! And you would change the tyre type.

Cheers.

Every tyre these days is made with wear indicators that show when the tread depth has reached the unroadworthy stage. My dealer claimed that the tyres were down to "zero tread." I refused to let them change the "worn out" tyres and suggested I would do that myself. When I got the car home, an inspection of the "worn out" tyres showed that the wear indicators on all four wheels were below the rest of the tread by a minimum of 2 mm. The outer edges of the tyres also have plenty of meat on them. This isn't the first time a dealer has tried to con me or my wife, they are particularly aggressive toward female customers who are suspected to not have any mechanical nouse. I'll take these tyres to another venue and see whether they will confirm my suspicions!
 
Good news, that makes sense. The wear indicators are usually about 2mm so you probably have about 4mm tread, not 0.0 - just shysters. And if that wear is pretty even across the 4 grooves, then alignment is good, and everything is quite normal, although the wear rate is still high. A rotation now, with twice the wear on the fronts, will give you a nice full set to pay for next year, as they all reach the wear limiters together. As the tyres have only 7-8mm depth at new, you probably have about 25% more life in them.

Cheers.
 
Minimum tread depth according to the Continental website is 1.6 mm. My dealer tells me it's 1.8 mm.
 
Hi :)
Well I was going to say that I would not trust a dealer in this particular aspect but I though Kim could look after it OK himself:rolleyes:
Some years back my sister had her new Polo serviced at the dealer and they pulled the same trick after a while, but she went to a tire place and asked them to look at the tires. The guy said why are we looking at them ??? they all look OK. Then she came to me and I measured them. All more than OK no low shoulders and the back ones half worn only. They had put BS measurements on the report 1 and 2mm. Hmmm she was not happy so went back to her previous mechanic for remainder warranty services and has no reason to complain since.
Jaahn
 
We might be old fashioned but we work on the principal that a five year warranty is more likely to be honoured if the car is serviced at an authorised service centre for five years. (I know it isn't considered a problem having it serviced elsewhere, but we're not prepared to take a punt!) After that, the car goes to an established aftermarket service centre. So trusting your local friendly dealer to give you three fixed price services and two at full cost shouldn't be too hard, except can they always be trusted? Not when it comes to tyres, it seems!
 
I venture that your bad experience is the well known practice of 'harvesting' work/expense from unsuspecting customers.
Had this regrettable and sneaky move happen to me more times than you would like to know. Especially on my company car. They love those.
Latest example about a year ago when they told me I needed new brake rotors and pads all round. Had the mechanic here this week to finally do my brakes when he told me they are still fine and should last another 20K. I never ever trust a dealer or mechanic I don't know.
By the way: Nowadays If I need a professionaI I engage a 'Mobile Mechanic' who comes to my house. There are several very good ones in my area, some with up to 5 'stars'. That way I can stand beside him and check everything he does, if I choose to.
 
I would suspect the quality of all their service work if they are gleaning customers' money using highly questionable means. I don't like using large service centres. They have so many mechanics of varying ability and the customer often deals with a receptionist rather than the person who worked on their car. Not surprisingly comments on one car could actually be a reference to another of the same model serviced that day. Like Breitie, I like the independent operator where the person you talk to is the same person who does the work... mixed messages are less likely.
 
I suspect the same occurs now as when I was mechanic in a dealership 50 years ago. Bonuses paid on the acceptance of extra work noted by the mechanic. All well and good for the mechanic to keep his eyes open for faults that are developing, for preventative maintenance purposes, but the system is obviously open to abuse. He/she only gets the bonus if the customer accepts, and the work is done. Brakes are an obvious target.
May or may not still be in vogue, but as I have found the old con of selling additives is still the norm, I suspect the extra work noted bonus is also on the go at some dealerships.
 
As an aside, I have used the same dealer and their successors for some twenty years. Service managers have come and gone and I figure that we've had it put upon us two or three times during that period. Having been driving cars and trucks for sixty years and owning many vehicles I think I can pick abuse. I have never needed to stamp my rotors with markings or color my brake pads for later inspection because I have pulled the service operators up often enough for them to not continue to try anything on. My tyre problem appears to be caused by new service management with whom I will shortly have a meaningful conversation!
 
In a similar vein, I had an upmarket VW specialist tell me that my front discs were at end of life and needed to be changed. I declined smelling a bit of a rat and measured them at home with a proper micrometer gauge.they still had 60% of their wear left on them! I don't think they even measured them. That was 2 to 3 years ago, I have replaced the pads with (fantastic and dustless) ceramic pads recently, discs still 25% of allowable wear left. I have a pair of brand new discs in the garage and will replace them soon, having by then had about three more years of perfectly useful life out of them. Sadly some places are into harvesting revenue rather than long term customer relations, I am now trying a different servicing company.
By the way, that car does have the same Conti Contact sports on it, I agree they have a pretty short life (probably 25K or about 2 years is a good result on the fronts, maybe an extra 5 to 8K onthe back) and I am changing two at a time to get maximum use from them, since even with swapping fronts to back the ones having mainly front use simply don't last. But they do brake and handle well in wet or dry so I do see that as a 'cost of doing business'. Have been very disappointed inthe past with other brands wrt wet weather performance. I think most tyres these days have a softer compound and don't last as long as in the past, especially lower profile ones.
cheers leconte
 
I note there is a trade-off between grip and longevity with tyres, and the wear index is a good place to look for that.
I have previously had Toyo R888s on a car. They stick like sh** to a blanket, but with a wear index of 100, they were clapped out by well < 10,000km.
I see the Contisportcontact 5 has a wear index of 280. I don't know about the ones to which it is being compared, but you need to know the wear index before you can make these comparisons.
 
Top